Politics & Government

District 26 Assembly Candidates Give Answers

Patch asked each to answer a questionnaire. Here is how they answered.

With the Nov. 8 election fast approaching, Patch takes a look at the candidates for two District 26 Assembly seats, incumbent Republicans Alex DeCroce (Parsippany) and Jay Webber (Morris Plains), Democratic challengers Elliot Isibor (Rockaway) and Joseph Raich (Parsippany), and Independent challenger Michael Spector (Mount Tabor).

Patch asked each candidate to fill out the questionnaire below. Here are their responses.

Alex DeCroce (R-Parsippany)

Age: 75

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Occupation: Realtor, ERA Gallo & DeCroce

Previous elected or appointed positions: General Assembly, 1989-present; Assembly Republican leader, 2003-present; Republican conference leader, 2002-03; deputy speaker 1994-2001

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Any other current elected or appointed positions:  None

Other community associations: Craftsman Farms Foundation Trustee; New Jersey Crime Victims’ Law Center, honorary board member; Rotary International Member  

Town (and length) of residence: Parsippany-Troy Hills, 73 years

Length of residence in District 26: Same as above

Most pressing issues for this candidate in a coming term, and how they would be addressed: The most pressing issue is New Jersey’s affordability crisis and unemployment. From the bipartisan property tax cap, to historic pension and benefits reform, we have made strides in cutting government spending to control taxes, which has resulted in positive job growth over the past two years. That is quite an improvement from the last decade, when New Jersey lost 156,000 jobs under Democrat control of Trenton. We need to keep reducing costs for taxpayers and businesses so that we can create the jobs we need in our communities and throughout the state. We can accomplish this by rejecting tax increases and capping state spending at 2 percent, just like we did at the local level, so that when our revenues rebound, the extra funds will go directly into the pockets of over-burdened taxpayers.

What's one fact about you that most voters probably don't know? I enjoy spending time with my three grandchildren.

Jay Webber (R-Morris Plains)

Age: 39

Occupation: Attorney

Previous elected or appointed positions: NJ Republican Party, chairman, 2009–11; NJ Apportionment Commission, co-chairman, 2010–11

Any other current elected or appointed positions: Morris Plains Republican County Committee, member

Other community associations: St. Virgil’s Parish, Morris Plains, trustee

Town (and length) of residence: Morris Plains, 7 years

Length of residence in District 26: 10 years

Most pressing issues for this candidate in a coming term, and how they would be addressed: Reducing property and other taxes on our overtaxed citizens, cutting government spending, and creating a pro-growth economic climate for job creation and prosperity are the most pressing issues. 

On the issue of property taxes, we must cut the costs that drive them, especially personnel costs that comprise much of municipal government budgets. I have supported the “tool kit” proposals designed to lower property taxes, a property tax cap, and comprehensive pension and benefits reforms. I look forward to continuing to support policies that push down the cost drivers of property taxes, so that property taxes not only are capped, but actually can be reduced.

More locally, flood mitigation efforts, eliminating the Highlands Act, preserving the Greystone property, and protecting Lake Hopatcong are top priorities.

Fun Fact: I have led by example by successfully fighting to end taxpayer-funded pensions for legislators, and by voluntarily refusing the health benefits that legislators can take at taxpayer expense. I run a small law firm and have a family of seven (and soon to grow to eight in February), so I understand the expense of, and the need for, health benefits. But, I decline taxpayer-funded health benefits, because I have put my own compensation where by beliefs are.  I believe compensation and benefits in the public sector should closely resemble compensation and benefits in the private sector. Part-time employees in the private sector rarely receive full-time health perks, and taxpayers should not be forced to fund such perks in the public sector. I also believe that if were are going to reform pension and health benefits for public employees, elected officials have to look at their own compensation and benefits package first.  That's why I believe taxpayer-funded pension and health benefits should be eliminated for all part-time public employees and part-time elected officials, and why I voluntarily refuse them despite their availability to me today.

Elliot Isibor (D-Rockaway)

Age: Not given

Occupation: Administrator

Previous elected or appointed positions: State Board Of Education, vice president

Previous positions sought: Councilman at-large; Board of Freeholders; Investment Board City of Newark; Peoples Festival Committee, chairman; Municipal Alliance Committee, chairman; United Nations Committee, chairman

Any other current elected or appointed positions: Rockaway Township Democratic Committee, member; World Igbo Congress Council of Elders, chairman; Songhai Charities Inc., chairman

Other community associations: Rolling Ridge Block Association, member

Town (and length) of residence: Rockaway Township, Morris County (11 years)

Length of residence in District 26: Same as above

Most pressing issues for this candidate in a coming term, and how they would be addressed:

Most pressing issues: Jobs; economy; property taxes; affordable education, housing and healthcare; realistic encouragement to small businesses; to hire new workers; incentives to be offered to businesses to true new jobs (not firing older workers but hiring newer ones) which will in turn invigorate the economy; make work-business environment hospitable to both new and existing employers/business owners; develop incubators for new intentions to encourage American ingenuity.

Solutions to pressing issues: In order to make NJ affordable to it's present citizens, and to stem the exodus from the state, we must, at a minimum, make the following changes:

  • Through personal contacts, I will bring foreign investors into NJ to build new businesses and industries.
  • Eliminate useless, counter-productive, and negative regulations and legislation that discourage investments.
  • Encourage local communities to cut government spending, share services, and/or merge workforce.
  • Encouraging fiscal responsibility.
  • Property assessment should be based upon current sales rather then assessed evaluation of a designated time period.

Fun Fact: I am a college professor.

Joseph Raich (D-Parsippany)

Age: 65

Occupation: Limousine driver

Previous elected or appointed positions: Ran for the same office in 2001.

Any other current elected or appointed positions: No

Other community associations: Parsippany Democratic County Committee (was awarded lifetime achievement award)

Town (and length) of residence: Parsippany, on and off since 1968 (43 years).

Length of residence in District 26: Same as above.

Most pressing issues for this candidate in a coming term, and how they would be addressed: Water and flood management following Hurricane Irene: My opponents have made a lot of mistakes that I want to see corrected. A really big mistake was dealing with the flooding after Hurricane Irene. The mayor of Parsippany, the largest township in District 26, refuses to accept the blame. He’s doing an investigation himself about what happened with water management and who’s at fault, and he blames the state. The state would be the Department of Environmental Protection. The water management and control of the water flow of our reservoirs and our river come under control of the state legislature, and that’s my opponents. My opponents have been in for 18 years and have failed to go in and do anything about flood control in the district. The district was larger back when I ran in 2001 and had more flood towns involved. It had Pequannock and Riverdale and that area. This time, we have Lincoln Park, Parsippany, Montville and Fairfield. Fairfield’s had a very serious problem, and this state has failed to do anything to remediate flow of rivers or create new reservoirs.

We have to look into making more reservoirs or making a system that allows for better piping out of the water out of the reservoirs.

  • Cutting state aid to municipalities and school districts: Another big mistake is the fact that they go ahead and balance the state’s budget by cutting aid to municipalities and school districts. That increases everybody’s property tax and, while the state’s able to go ahead and balance its budget, the property taxes go up and up.
  • Health care and pensions: They balance the state’s budget based upon the public employees paying more money into health care and pensions. I’m not against them doing that, because it levels out the playing field between the private sector and public sector paying their fair share to go ahead and pay an equal amount. They’re equalizing the playing field in regards to pensions. However, I don’t see any reform coming through from my opponents to go and change the health care costs and do anything about why New Jersey has to have the biggest health care and pension costs that wear out the middle class. It’s wearing out the middle class, and that’s why I’m running.
  • Unemployment and the Occupy Wall Street movement: It is class warfare; the rich are getting richer, and the middle class is going into non-existence. Our jobs are going overseas. Nobody has even stood up and made a statement that outsourcing is un-American, and that bothers me. Unemployment in New Jersey is higher than the national average, and that’s very wrong also. They’ve done nothing about coming to grips with the real problems facing the state."
  • Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”: "The desire for them to ahead and allow fracking and ruin our drinking water is something we really ought to be concerned about.
  • Government: The basic control of government is that people have to go and trust their government. Government does have a function. If these problems require regulation and action, we need somebody that’s going to do it. These guys have failed that test also. You have to care about people. If government isn’t about people, then government shouldn’t even exist. Honesty and transparency is something I believe very strongly about, too. Equalizing taxes, too. Everybody should pay their fair share.
  • Education: I ran for school board twice in the township of Parsippany, and education is very important to me. I want to see politics out of the classroom. For instance, if your brother needs a job, and they take out an existing teacher to give him a job, that’s unacceptable.

Fun Fact: Government has been a hobby of mine for a long time, and I’m looking to serve in the legislature. I want to help people.

Michael Spector (I-Parsippany)

Age: 72

Occupation: Retired New York City associate staff analyst

Previous elected or appointed positions: N/A

Any other current elected or appointed positions: N/A

Other community associations: N/A

Town (and length) of residence: Mt. Tabor (Parsippany), 20 years

Length of residence in District 26: Same

Most pressing issues for this candidate in a coming term, and how they would be addressed: Exerting pressure on the Federal government to end all mid-east wars, including the use of private contractors. New Jersey's share for the past 10 years of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is calculated at $23.3 billion with an additional $6.1 billion proposed for 2012 alone. This is money that could restore our infrastructure and re-hire laid off teachers.

  • A single-payer Medicare health system for all would save New Jersey $2.6 million on employees health care, charity care and workers compensation. The state would also eliminate more than $60 billion in unfunded obligations for retirees' medical care.
  • Restoring the Millionaires tax. A 10.7 percent levy on the 16,000 New Jersey residents whose income is seven figures or greater. The additional revenue would raise up to $1.1 billion.
  • Establishing a state-wide public works jobs program to ease New Jersey's unemployment rate, which is higher than the national average.

Fun Fact: I ran for mayor of Parsippany in 2005 and state Assembly in 2007.


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